Chapter 443: Senior Brother, A Play!
After leaving the Sword Sect, dozens of Immortal Ships, vast and mighty, soon crossed the northwestern border of the Southern Domain and entered the Western Regions.
During this time, Ye Anping had nothing to do. Besides playing mahjong with four players, he also played mahjong with two players. However, no matter what kind of mahjong it was, he was always the one to “pop the bubble.”
In the four-player mahjong, he, Xiao Yunluo, and his Junior Sister would pop the bubble for Feng Yu Die. In the two-player mahjong, he would pop the bubble for his Junior Sister and Xiao Yunluo.
In any case, he had plenty of Spirit Stones and “cannon fodder,” so he could afford to pop the bubble.
This almost idle rhythm of life had somewhat relaxed Ye Anping.
… …
Time flew by, and the new year had passed.
On the rugged mountains of the Western Regions, a bleak winter scene was unfolding, with snow covering the mountains and forests, and birds and beasts in slumber.
When the fleet approached the Xuan Xing Sect, Ye Anping went to greet Fu Xuan Shangxian and his father. He asked his father to take the Xing Tian Division to the Hundred Lotus Sect first, where Tong Zilan would handle the subsequent resettlement matters.
This decision was made considering the Xuan Xing Sect’s stance.
The fall of Nancheng City was still rumored among the Immortal Families to be at the hands of the Demon Emperor.
However, Zu Yuan and Sun Juehu, among others, were not fools.
They actually knew all along that Nangong City’s death was definitely related to one of them.
They just couldn’t be sure who it was.
This was a chain of suspicion without evidence, for now.
This was also Si Xuanji’s plan.
It was also the reason why Si Xuanji was unwilling to intervene in the affairs of Donghuang.
The Xing Tian Division, as a remnant force of the former Imperial Sect, was now a hot potato. No matter which of the four Immortal Families they went to, it would indirectly prove which sect was related to the destruction of the Imperial Sect and the death of Nancheng City.
Although settling with the Hundred Lotus Sect also pointed to the Xuan Xing Sect,
it was better than the Xing Tian Division going directly to the Xuan Xing Sect and announcing to Zu Yuan and Sun Juehu, “The Imperial Sect was destroyed by our Xuan Xing Sect!!”
Because Ye Anping knew the connections involved, he understood that his action of having the Hundred Lotus Sect take in the Xing Tian Division had caused Si Xuanji a lot of trouble.
Si Xuanji was probably very angry right now…
“Sigh…”
Ye Anping, flying towards the Xuan Xing Sect on his sword, looked at the rapidly receding mountains and forests below and let out a long sigh.
A hint of melancholy showed in his eyes. He didn’t know if he could appease Granny Si…
Four flying swords pierced through the air and clouds. After three sunrises, the eighteen snow-covered mountain peaks of the Xuan Xing Sect, wreathed in clouds and mist, came into view for the four of them.
After Ye Anping and the others passed through the mountain gate using their Xuan Xing Sect Disciple Identity Tokens, they went directly to the summit of Tianyun Peak to report to Elder Qin.
They briefly recounted the events of their trip to the Central Domain, omitting the beginning and end, to Elder Qin. Elder Qin did not keep them for long, stating that he would relay the information to Mr. Qi and the other elders before letting them go to rest.
After leaving the Elder Pavilion at the summit of Tianyun Peak, it was already the afternoon.
Ye Anping went to the railing at the mountain peak to gaze at Moon Spring Peak under the light snow. He asked his Junior Sister and Feng Yu Die to return to tidy up the courtyard, and then said to Xiao Yunluo:
“Yunluo, as we agreed before, you will go ask your mother about your origins, and by the way, ask her if she agrees to let me meet her…”
Xiao Yunluo nodded and asked:
“Well, Anping, why don’t you come with me?”
“No. If your mother agrees to let me meet her, I’ll go. Besides…” Ye Anping looked at his clothes, which were stained with dust and wind, and gave a helpless smile. “I’m meeting the Sect Master of the Xuan Xing Sect, after all. I’ll go back to my Three-Bay House to take a bath and change my clothes. It wouldn’t be good to be disrespectful.”
Xiao Yunluo thought it made sense, so she didn’t say anything else and nodded in agreement:
“Okay… Alright, I’ll go first, and I’ll call you when I get back.”
Then she summoned her flying sword, stepped onto it, and flew towards the Central Peak…
—
Deep in the bamboo forest on the mountainside of Moon Spring Peak—
Light snowflakes sprinkled a layer of sugar frost on the ground of the paved courtyard. A spiritual tree, seven hundred years old, stood within a wooden fence. Its bare branches bore a swing.
A small black and white figure sat on the swing, making a circular motion around the tree trunk.
Swoosh swoosh~~
Round and round, her feet, like lotus buds, almost brushed against the accumulated snow in the flowerbed with each swing.
Autumn Water gently swept the snow from the paving stones with an iron broom not far away. Ah Ying stood on her shoulder, slowly chewing the spiritual rice she had just taken out of her Storage Bag.
As soon as Autumn Water swept a patch of ground clean, the light snow falling from the sky would cover it with a layer of white frost again. She could only continue sweeping with her broom.
She could tell that her little master’s mood was like the accumulated snow in the courtyard. As long as it kept snowing, it would never be completely swept clean.
But the only thing she could do was to keep sweeping, hoping the snow would stop soon.
It had been more than half a year since Ye Anping secretly left the Xuan Xing Sect with Xiao Yunluo and went to Donghuang.
During these past six months, her little master hadn’t closed her eyes.
Perhaps this was normal for other powerful cultivators. Void Realm cultivators didn’t need to sleep.
However, for Autumn Water, this was almost as unusual as the sun rising in the west and setting in the east.
Autumn Water knew that her little master was losing sleep because of Ye Anping, but she didn’t dare to ask or comfort her.
Seeing her little master swinging in circles on the swing for days on end now,
she couldn’t help but feel a little worried for Elder Lei.
Since there had been no news from Elder Lei, Autumn Water was worried that Ye Anping might really have encountered some misfortune in Donghuang.
If that were the case, Elder Lei would probably have to spend the rest of his life breeding Qin Shui Jiao.
Rustle—
The iron broom lightly swept the white frost on the ground.
Suddenly, a delicate voice filled with a hint of nervousness came from outside the main entrance of the cave dwelling:
“Mother… Mother! I have an urgent matter I need to ask you about in person!”
Hearing Xiao Yunluo’s voice, which was no different from usual, Autumn Water’s eyes lit up with joy. This meant that Ye Anping had also returned safely.
Autumn Water looked at Si Xuanji, who was swinging on the swing, and quickly walked over to remind her:
“Little Master, Young Master Xiao and the others have returned.”
Creak creak…
The swing, which had been moving in circles, slowly decelerated, then began to swing like a pendulum, and finally stopped.
Si Xuanji shook her slightly disheveled hair, looked at Autumn Water calmly from the side, and nodded slightly:
“Mm…”
“Should I let Young Master Xiao in?”
“Mm.”
“Then I’ll go open the door.”
Seeing that Si Xuanji had agreed, Autumn Water nodded, and together with Ah Ying, instantly disappeared from Si Xuanji’s sight and reappeared at the entrance of the cave dwelling.
Upon seeing Xiao Yunluo’s appearance outside the door, Autumn Water was stunned. Her gaze fixed on a pair of deer-like dragon horns revealed by her bangs on Xiao Yunluo’s forehead.
“They’ve grown handles?! They’ve grown handles?!”
?
Xiao Yunluo was stunned and frowned, saying:
“What handles…”
“Faucet handles!! Faucet handles!!”
Clicking her tongue twice, Ah Ying flapped and landed directly on Xiao Yunluo’s head. He bent down and bit the horns on her forehead, trying to twist them.
Autumn Water also came back to her senses. Although Si Xuanji had not discussed Xiao Yunluo’s identity and origin with her in detail, she had followed Si Xuanji for so many years and had some idea.
“Young Master Xiao has transformed into a dragon, how beautiful.”
Xiao Yunluo shooed Ah Ying away from her head. Hearing this, she also came back to her senses and asked somewhat confusedly:
“Aunt Qiu, have you always known?”
“Although Little Master didn’t tell me directly, I had a vague guess.”
Autumn Water sighed slightly and didn’t say much more. She extended her hand and invited, “Little Master is waiting inside. Young Master Xiao, please follow me.”
“Mm… Thank you, Aunt Qiu.”
Xiao Yunluo finally caught Ah Ying, nodded slightly, and then followed Autumn Water into the cave dwelling’s entrance, arriving at the courtyard where Si Xuanji had been swinging.
However, when Autumn Water brought Xiao Yunluo into the courtyard, she found that the small black and white figure under the spiritual tree had disappeared. Only a gently swaying swing seat remained in the breeze.
“… …”
Xiao Yunluo looked around and didn’t see Si Xuanji, so she asked with some confusion:
“Aunt Qiu Shui, isn’t my mother here?”
“Ah…”
Autumn Water hesitated for a moment, then suddenly understood where Si Xuanji had gone. She gave an embarrassed smile and pointed to the door of a nearby room, explaining:
“Little Master is still sleeping. Young Master Xiao, please wait here for a while.”
Xiao Yunluo pouted slightly and complained:
“Why is she sleeping again… Every time I come, she’s sleeping.”
Ah Ying, perched on her head, glanced at Autumn Water’s slightly stiff smile and seemed to understand what was going on. He suddenly shook his head and said poetically,
“This sleep is not that sleep~ This sleep is not that~~”
Before he could finish, Autumn Water grabbed him with one hand and said,
“Young Master Xiao, please have a seat. I’ll get you some pastries.”
“No need, I’ll come back in a few days. Who knows how long my mother will sleep this time. Aunt Qiu, please call me at Tianyun Peak then…”
Xiao Yunluo cupped her hands in a salute and turned to leave.
However, seeing her about to leave, Autumn Water thought that it would be best to wait until Little Master had vented her anger on Ye Anping. It wasn’t the first time, after all. So she quickly stepped forward to stop her and said:
“Young Master Xiao, it’s best if you wait here. Before, when you secretly ran out of the Xuan Xing Sect, Little Master was quite angry.”
Xiao Yunluo was immediately startled and argued in a low voice:
“I didn’t run out secretly… I asked for leave from Elder Lei.”
“You told Elder Lei that you were going to the Hundred Lotus Sect, but where did you go? By the way, Elder Lei was directly kicked out by Little Master to catch you. Did you not meet him on the way?”
“Ah? No… no…”
Hearing that Lei Wanjun had suffered because of her, Xiao Yunluo felt quite guilty, but it wasn’t the first time. She would apologize to Elder Lei when he returned.
However, hearing that Si Xuanji was angry, Xiao Yunluo also felt a little scared, so she nodded:
“Then I’ll wait… How long will Mother sleep?”
“Hmm… probably…” Autumn Water thought for a moment. “Two or three days?”
After all, with Ye Anping’s cultivation, he could probably only last two or three days at most.
However, Xiao Yunluo was in a difficult situation and said:
“Ah? Then perhaps I’ll come back tomorrow or the day after. I can’t wait here for two or three days…”
“This is about showing an attitude of admitting fault. When Little Master knows that you waited here for two or three days specifically to apologize, she will definitely be less severe in her punishment.”
Autumn Water said, holding Ah Ying’s neck to prevent him from making a sound. Then she pushed Xiao Yunluo’s shoulder into the nearby room, brought her some tea and pastries, and accompanied her as she waited for Si Xuanji to wake up…
—
Tianyun Peak, Courtyard—
Huala Huala~~
Inside the room, the freshly poured hot water in the bathtub emitted wisps of white mist in the winter chill. Ye Anping took off his robe, which was covered in dust and wind and snow, and stepped into the water, letting the hot water submerge his collarbone.
The fatigue of a hundred days was washed away in the slightly ancient-scented hot water.
Ye Anping let down his tied-up hair, leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and relaxed his whole body. Then, he used his Spiritual Sense to check his meridians.
The matter in Donghuang had been settled for half a month now. His Yang Energy settlement had not arrived yet. In fact, he had been very worried about this on the Sword Sect and on the way back, and dared not leave his Junior Sister and the others’ side for a moment.
But now that he was back at the Xuan Xing Sect, he was completely relieved.
After checking his meridians, Ye Anping took Gu Mingxin’s hand from the side. Seeing that her hand was dirty, he simply put it into the bathtub and helped her scrub it. He even took out a file to trim her fingernails.
Gu Mingxin could not communicate with him, but there had been no movement from her side along the way, which meant she had likely not found Mo Chi Ling yet.
In the game, Mo Chi Ling’s appearance had already reached the final chapter of the main storyline.
Now that the Donghuang affair was over, Ye Anping really didn’t know where she was hiding.
Moreover, Mo Chi Ling had escaped from Yu Yan. She had not been found by Yu Yan Shangxian for hundreds of years, so she must be hiding quite secretly.
But he believed in Xue E and Gu Mingxin.
The Eastern Domain was a place he could not tread for now. If he wanted to find Mo Chi Ling, he would have to rely on them.
In the future, he would inevitably face Yu Yan directly, and Mo Chi Ling would become his trump card against Yu Yan.
Just as Nancheng City would not have expected that someone could snatch the Nine Dragon Sky Seal from him:
“Yu Yan” also didn’t know that his personal disciple, whom he had personally sent into the Blood Pool, was now hiding in a corner of the Eastern Domain, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on him.
Of course, Mo Chi Ling alone was not enough to kill Yu Yan.
But the situation was not yet ripe, and he was not in a hurry.
In any case, he would let Gu Mingxin and Xue E search slowly…
While thinking about Gu Mingxin’s matter, Ye Anping spent a little time grooming Gu Mingxin’s hands until they looked like those of an Immortal Family fairy, with her long fingernails neatly trimmed.
Gu Mingxin seemed to find it awkward and protested, wanting to escape, but every time she escaped from his hand and swam a short distance, he would catch her and pull her back.
“… …”
Ye Anping shook his head. Feeling that the time was about right, he stood up, picked up a bath towel to wrap himself, stepped out of the bathtub, and planned to return to his room to find something nice from the wardrobe. He would then wait for Xiao Yunluo to come and take him to see Granny Si.
If Si Xuanji was willing to see him, it would mean she had decided to reveal her identity to him. If not, he would have to continue playing the role-playing game with Si Xuanji…
No matter what, he just had to make her happy.
Lost in thought, Ye Anping, wearing slippers, walked out of the bathroom, stepped across the snow-covered courtyard, and pushed open the wooden door of his bedroom.
Creak—
Then he walked to the wardrobe, opened its door, and thought that Si Xuanji had given him a set of clothes before. He planned to wear that set.
However, just as he took out the clothes and was about to change…
Ye Anping noticed that there seemed to be someone on his bed.
In the middle of the quilt, which was spread out on the bed, was a small bulge, like a large dumpling.
?
Ye Anping was silent for a moment, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then walked over, grabbed a corner of the quilt, took a deep breath, and gently pulled the quilt open.
Si Xuanji, wearing a Xuan Xing Sect Disciple’s uniform, was lying on the bed with her knees hugged, her back to him. Her yin-yang eyes were tightly closed, and she seemed to be asleep.
“… …”
“… …”
Si Xuanji slowly opened her eyes as if she had just woken up, and stretched:
“Mmm… Mmm… Young Master Ye, you’re back?”
“Uh…”
Ye Anping was stunned for a moment. He glanced back in the direction of the room door and thought that Yunluo would probably not be back for a while. In other words, Si Xuanji was still unwilling to reveal her identity to him.
He was silent for a moment, a hint of embarrassment appearing on his face. He held his breath until his face turned red, making himself look like a shy virgin, and asked in surprise:
“Xuan… Young Mistress Xuanji… Why are you… in my room?”
… …
